The day has come and gone, and we’re just about complete with this year’s event. A post-mortem needs to be done, and then we can sign off what we believe has been a successful 31st edition of this event.

Planning started in May 2014, and our goal for 2015 was IMPROVED SAFETY. Feedback from race officials, support cars, sector controllers, cyclists and spectators has been very positive, despite a number of crashes along the route. We wish each and every injured person as successful recovery, and hope to see everyone back on the bike.

At 165Km, this event is one of the longest on the calendar for Elite & U23 Men, and at 125Km, the Veteran Men and Juniors also have one of the longer races too. The mere fact the 80% of our efforts and time, goes into giving less than 20% of the participants a longer route, we do it because we’re cyclists. A cyclist knows and understands what fellow cyclists prefer – good, hard racing for the top pro’s and amateurs, while a challenge for the rest.

As SAFE as we hope our race would be, it could’ve ended on a different note for the Veteran 30-39 (VA) group. Some how, a civilian car managed to squeeze through the traffic cones, EMPD officers and marshals and onto the finish line chute, less than a minute before the 4 guys in the break cross the line. Thankfully they were experienced enough to ride around the car, but we’d hate to think what “could’ve happened”.

For the rest, like JC Nel (Elite Men’s winner) said, the race was splintered, and for the first time in many year we didn’t have a bunch sprint in any of the licensed categories (Elite/U23, VA, VB, VC, Elite & Veteran Woman, U16 Boys, Tandems and Open AL). Weather conditions this morning were ideal for cycling, but by 08:00 the wind picked up. The route follows a figure of 8, so riders are guaranteed of a headwind, cross winds from both directions as well as a favourable tail wind. The finish line shows an Easterly direction, meaning a cross-head wind coming home (15Km).

Germiston Wheelers, together with the Germiston Rotary Club (and Rotary Anns) would like to thank the sponsors for enabling us to keep this event running, and give back to the cycling community, who in turn also help us to donate to deserving charities in the local areas.

• Title Sponsors – Carnival City and Macsteel;
• Vehicle Sponsors – Kempston Hire and Peugeot Fourways;
• Prizes & Goodies Bags – Carnival City, Fit Sports, Prominent Paint, Tour de Frans Cycles, CycleLab Fourways, Panda Sports;
• PR and media – 93.9 East Rand Stereo and Mix 93.8 FM (in the saddle with Anton);
• Drink sponsors – ABI (Powerade, Coke)

then to our service providers, who we pay for their services but couldn’t do it without them:

• Timing – Peak Timing (ChampionChip);
• Medical – Helivac
• Communications – ER Hamnet
• Lynx Freight Couriers – race pack delivery direct to cyclist’s door
• Fencing – Carry On Projects
• Route (Bike) marshals – Road Rangers
• Traffic Control – Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD)
• Toilet hire – Septol
• Hospitality – JR Party Hire
• Post race massages – The Red Cross
• Caterers – 4 Season’s Catering

A big thanks to all club members, their families and friends for marshalling every intersection on the route.  The Rotary Clubs in and around Germiston, Brakpan, Jhb South, Meyerton, Henley-on-Klip, Nigel and Alberton.

Cheques were handed over to deserving charities – Be an Angel Foundation, SA Guide Dogs Association as well as the Germiston Rotary Club (to distribute to their charities) as well as the club (for their development of amateur cycling, and local charities).

Diarise 28 February 2016, the 4th Sunday of February, when we will return again for the 32nd running of a race Germiston Wheelers have been involved with since it’s inception.